Printing plate and holder therefor



June 1958 R. o. BRADLEY ET AL PRINTING PLATE AND HOLDER THEREFOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1954 INVENTORS ROBERT o. BRADLEY BRUCE E. R'os/lvso/v June 24, 1958 R- O. BRADLEY ET AL PRINTING PLATE AND HOLDER THEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 15, 1954 IN V EN TORS ROBERT 0. BRADLEY BRUCE E. ROB/NSO/V June 24, 1958 Filed Sept. 13, 1954 R. o. BRADLEY ETAL PRINTING PLATE AND HOLDER THEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTOR/V 5 INVENTORS ROBERT O. BRADLEY BRUCE E ROBINSON ilnited States Patent "2,839,995 PRINTING PLAT-E AND HoLnn-R THEREFOR Robert 0 a e d Br e E-R bin sm, o e o, O io,

assignors, byinesne assignments, toToledo Scale Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio A r fie fiep e e i ii 1 S r aLNo- 5,

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 101-313 This invention relates to improvements in .rotary printingapparatus, and more .particularly .to attachments for such apparatus for printing successive labels with different information.

Conventional rotary printing machines have channeled drums holding lines ,oftype. ;Such machines are satisfactory tor full-page printing, but are notsatisfactory for printing a few lines, particularly where successive labels must be provided with different information, since much time is consumed in transferring and positioning the type. Apparatus heretofore used for printing successive labels on a strip of paper has not been provided with a P i a me n f r bid y changing and po o the type. The constructions of both the type and the ,typeholders on such apparatushave been expensiveand ditficulty has been eperienced in rapidly locating the type in the holders.

Where successive labels must beproyided with .difierent information, e. g, in eonnection with the labeling of reeke d meet in food s o es. the c ng ng of the p ing type inthe label printing apparatus vconstitutes an important element of time and cost. Each package must b m k d to indi at the ype o oo e g cost p pound and total cost. Several labels may bear information as to the type of meat, e. ;g., Veal Steak, that must e h n e r th 'ne c eep o la el Furthe mo the a ins type m st be p op y pos tio ed so that no overlapping of the various printed matter occurs. Usuy. e ma kin nd cat th ype v f food is made y label printing apparatus and the markings indicating i c per po nd and I ta-1 rest i a c mpl h d y a printing weighing scale in asuccessiye operation. Successive operations require properly aligned printed matter to avoid confusion.

The principal object .of this invention is to provide no proved means for removably fixing printing indicia in proper position on ya rotary printing holder.

Another object of the invennon is to provide a label printing plate haying embossed printing indicia and means for locating the plate in a rotary holder, whereby one plate may be quickly substituted for another plate when a number of different labels must be printed in sequence.

Another object of the invention is to provide a label printing plate having embossed printing indicia and a 'fixed handle, the handle performing the additional function of locating the plate in a rotary holder.

Another object .of the invention is to pr vid a holder for a label printing plate, the holder having means for removably holding the printing plate and means for correctly locating the printing plate in printing position.

These andother objects'and advantages will be apparent from the following description of a preferred form of the invention.

According to the invention, a label printing plate including a curved printing element having an'embossed raisedportion is removably held in a holder having flat and substantially parallel sides, a rounded top, and a longitudinally extending and eccentrically'located openice ing for attaching the member to a rotatable :shaft.

Means are provided on the plate or.on the holder or.on

both for the proper positioning of the plate. When a number ofdifferent labels areto beprinted in sequence, one printing plate may be easily and .quickly substituted for another plate.

Apreferredembodiment and several variationsare ,il-

lnstrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure I is a perspective .viewe of a .printing device forlabels formed in a strip which device is provided with 7 means for removably fixingprinting indicia in pro'perposition on a rotary printing holder according to the invention.

Figure II is a side elevational view of feeding and putting mechanism with some shafts, pintles and supports .in section looking at the right side of the device shown in Figure I with the upright right hand wall of the frame removed.

Figure III is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a label printing plate and a rotary holder there- .for showinga handle fixed to the plate.

Figure IV is an exploded view of the label printing plate and the holder therefor shown in Figure p-III.

Figure V is a perspective view of another embodiment of a label printing plate and a rotary holder therefor showing a longitudinally extending groove onthe plate and a cooperating protuberance on the holder for locating the plate.

' Figure VI is a perspective view of another embodiment of a" label printing plate and a rotary holder therefor showing a notch in one end of the plate and a cooperating protuberance on the holder for locating the plate.

Figure VII is a perspective view of another embodiment of a label printing plate and a rotary holder therefor showing a protuberance or groove on the printing plate and a cooperating groove on the holder for locating the plate.

Referring to the drawings in detail: 7

A printing device for labels formed in a strip includes a frame 1 having an 'uprlghtt wall 2 and a vertical col- .umn 3. Extending outwardly from the wall 2 is a bed 4 adjustable vertically relative to the wall. Labels in a strip are guided over the bed 4 by means of pawls (not shown) tofeed between a-printing roller or printing plate holderlS and -,a cooperating pressure roller 6 beneath the printing plate holder 5. The printing plate holder 5 has flat and substantially parallel sides, a rounded top, and a longitudinally extending eccentrically located opening 7 for attaching the holder 5 to a rotatable shaft 8 mounted within a journal carried by the column 3. The

shaft 8 constitutes the basic drive means for the device.

The pressure roller 6 is supported directly beneath the printing plate holder 5 and is carried by a shaft 9 mounted in the column 3 The pressure roller 6 has a rigid concentric metallic bearing rotatably mounted .on a shaft 10' which comprises part of the main supporting shaft 9. The shaft section 10 is formed eccentrically .to'the shaft section 9 so that as the latter is rotated the pressure roller 6 will be moved toward and away from the printing plate holder 5 so that the proper printing pres sure can be obtained.

An inking roller 11 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 12 which is in turn pivotally mounted on the upper part of the column}. A bracket 13 is provided with an operating handle 14 to facilitate positioning of the inking roller 11 about a pivot member 15 pivotally mounted within a sleeve 16 to bring the inking roller 11 into operative position with the printing plate holder 5.

The several operating components of the device, such as the printing plate holder 5 and the pawls, are coordinated by means of a cam 17 carried on the end of the shaft 8 adjacent the printing plate holder and rotated therewith. A second cam.18 carried by the cam 17 opcrates a cutter for severing each printed label from a strip. The cam17 cooperates with a cam follower 19 pivoted on the shaft 9 and has a follower arm 20 that rides on the outer periphery of the cam 17. ,A lower lever arm 21 is coupled with a connecting link 22 that actuates the pawls. The cam follower arm 20 is held in constant contact with the periphery of the cam 17 by means of a spring 23 between the outer end of the arm 21 and the frame 1 A cam follower 24 also cooperates with the outer periphery on the cam 17 and actuates a leg 25 pivoted to the wall 2 by means of a screw 26. Movement of the leg 25 acts to retract thepawls after they have I moved forwardly to advance a label'over the bed 4.

As the labels are printed, provision is made in the form of a cutter 27 to sever each label for removal by an operator for attachment to the goods for which it is intended. The cutter'27 is positioned adjacent the printing plate holder 5 and the pressure roller 6 and is carried by the frame 1.

The cutter 27 comprises a bracket 28 having a first leg or flat surface 29 and a second leg or extended portion 30 formed with a cutting edge 31 laying in the plane of the flat surface and an L-shaped knife 32 having a flat tened end portion 33 and a blade 34 extending generally in the plane of the flattened end portion 33 and adapted to cooperate with the cutting edge 31 of the bracket 28. The bracket 28 is fastened to a metal block 35 by a pair of screws or rivets 36 and the block in turn is fastened to the frame 1 by a pair of screws passing through openings 37 in the block and threaded in the frame. The meeting edge ofthe extended portion 30 of the bracket 28 and of theflat surface 29 of the bracket 28 cooperates with the blade 34 of the knife 32 to form t a shearing means.

Th blade 34 of the knife 32 is slightly bent or curved to extend over the extended portion 30 of the bracket 28 i to press tightly against the cutting edge 31 of the bracket 28 throughout its travel, and the blade 34 and its cutting edge is curved in the plane of movement of the blade to produce an etncient shearing action. The flattened end portion 33 of the knife is loosely pivoted to the flat surface 29 of the bracket 28 at 38. A screw 39 carried by the flat surface 29 of the bracket 28 and a surrounding spring 40 are provided for urging the cutting edge of the knife 32 against the cutting edge 31 of the bracket 28. a

The cutter 27 is automatically actuated at the completion of each cycle of the printer to sever the printed label.

This action is accomplished by the second cam 18 carr ried by the cam 17, a pivotally mounted bell crank 41 pivoted at 42 to the metal block 35 for rotation about an axis generally parallel to the cutting edge of the bracket 28, and a link 43 coupling the bell crank 41 and the flattened end portion 33 of the knife 32 for moving the blade 34 of the knife 32 past the cutting edge 31of the bracket 28. The bell crank 41 includes a screw 44 adapted tocontact the periphery of the second'cam 18. The screw 44 provides for adjustment of the knife 32 and may be locked in adjusted position by a 'nut 45; The bellicrank 41 is connected to the knife 32 by means of the link 43 which extends downwardly. from the bell crank at an angle towards the knife to assist the spring 40 in urging the cutting edge of the knife 32 against the cutting edge of the bracket 28. Rotation of-the bell crank 41 about its pivot 42 under the action of the second cam 18 moves the. link which in turn moves the knife downwardly about-its pivot 38 and inwardly against the cooperating fixed cuttingedge 31 of the bracket 28. A helical compression spring 46 interposed between an arm 47 of the block 35 and the bottom of the link 43 urges the knife 32 toward operi position. v r I} V V The printing roller orprinting-plate holder 5 carriers a1 pairof resilient tension plates 48 attached to the holder by means of screws 49 for removably holding a printing v 4' 1 plate 50 on the rounded top of the holder. A stop plate 51 fixed to the back of the holder 5 serves as a means for locating the printing plate 50 in proper printing position. The printing roller heretofore used in apparatus for printing successive labels on a strip of paper has been provided with a complicated arrangement of grooves and springs for holding individual pieces of type carrying indicia to be printed on the labels. The printing roller and the type have been expensive to make and difficulty has been experienced in rapidly locating the type in the grooves. i

The printing plate 50 comprises a curved printing element having an embossed raised portion 52. The embossed raised portion 52 includes indicia to be printed on the labels and can be easily and inexpensively stamped into the thin printing plate 50. A plurality of the inexpensive printing plates can be acquired by the user so that he may have a separate plate containing all of the exact printing location of the indicia so that no overlapping of the various printed matter occurs during successive printing operations, as happens in the use of prior art devices, since the present printing plate is automatically and correctly located by contacting the stop plate 51. The printing plate 50. is so inexpensive that a large number can be acquired by the user who continues to save money as long as he uses them, since'the changing of the printing type in the prior art label printing apparatus constituted an important element of time and cost.

Because of the simple design of the printing plate 50, the printing plate holder 5 can also be simple and inexpensive construction and is easily adjustable. The printing plate holder 5 can be slid back and forth on the rotatable shaft 8 or can be rotated on the shaft 8 by loosening an adjusting screw 53 (Figure II) which retains the holder 5 on the shaft 8. These adjustments enable one to position the holder 5 transverse to the path of movement of the labels over the bed 4 so that the printed matter appears in the proper place on the labels and to synchronize the holder with the cooperating pressure roller 6. r

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures III and IV. A printing roller or printing plate holder 5a includes a pair of resilient tension plates 48a ing plate 50a comprising a curved printing element and having an embossed raised portion 52a including indicia to be printed on labels is provided with a fixed handle 54. The handle 54 in addition to providing a convenient grasping means performs the functions of locating the printing plate in the holder, i. e., the printing plate 50a is inserted in the holder 5a underneath the tension plates 48a from a position to the left of the machine as viewed in Figure I until the end of the handle nearest the raised portion 52a contacts the holder 5a at 55, and also prevents the printing plate from being inserted backward in the holder. No stop plate fixed to the holder is necessary in this construction. The plate must be inserted from a position at the left of-the machine as viewed in Figure I because the column 3 and the cam 17 are so closely adjacent the right hand end of the holder 5a that the plate cannot be inserted or removed from the right hand en of the holder.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure V. A printing roller or printing plate holder 5b includes apair of resilient tension plates 48b attached to'the holder by means of screws 49b. A printing plate embossed raised portion 52b including indicia to be printed on labels is provided with at least one longitudinally extending groove 56 which cooperates with a pin or protuberance 57 on the holder b for locating the printing plate in the holder, i. e., the groove and cooperating protuberance prevent the printing plate from being inserted backward in the holder and properly positions the plate in printing position. A stop plate 51b fixed to the back of the printing plate holder 5b limits the travel of the printing plate 50b as it is slipped underneath the tension plates 48b and thus helps the groove 56 and the cooperating protuberance 57 in locating the printing plate.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure VI. A printing roller or printing plate holder 50 includes a pair of resilient tension plates 48c attached to the holder by means of screws 490. A printing plate 500 comprising a curved printing element and having an embossed raised portion 520 including indicia to be printed on labels is provided with at least one notch 58in one end which cooperates with a pin or protuberance 59 on the holder 5c for locating the printing plate in the holder, i. e., the notch and the cooperating protuberance prevent the printing plate from being inserted backward in the holder and properly positions the plate in printing position. A stop plate 510 fixed to the back of the printing plate holder limits the travel of the printing plate 500 as it is slipped underneath the tension plates 48c and thus helps the notch 58 and the cooperating protuberance 59 in locating the printing plate.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure VII. A printing roller or printing plate holder 5d includes a pair of resilient tension plates 48d attached to the holder by means of screws 49d. A printing plate 50d comprising a curved printing element and having an embossed raised portion 52d including indicia to be printed on labels is provided with at least one protuberance or groove 60 which cooperates with a groove 61 in the holder 5d for locating the printing plate in the holder, i. e., the protuberance 60 and the cooperating groove 61 prevent the printing plate from being inserted backward in the holder and properly positions the plate in printing position. The protuberance 60 in the printing plate 50d can be in the form of apin instead of in the form of a groove. A stop plate 51d fixed to the back of the printing plate holder limits the travel of the printing plate 50d as it is slipped underneath the tension plates 48d and thus helps the protuberance or groove 60 and the cooperating groove 61 in locating the printing plate.

Various modifications may be made in specific details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, we claim:

1. In a rotary printing device for labels, a thin, elongated, transversely curved printing plate having an embossed raised portion on the outer face thereof, and a handle secured to the inner face of said printing plate adjacent one end thereof and having a surface displaced from said inner face to form a shoulder projecting therefrom at the inner end of said handle, said plate being adapted for mounting on a holder by longitudinal movement therealong', and said shoulder limiting the movement of said plate along said holder.

2. In a rotary printing device for labels, in combina- 7 6 7 tion, a thin, elongated, transversely curved printing plate having an embossed raised portion on the outer face .between the longitudinal edges thereof, a handle secured to the inner face of said printing plate adjacent one end thereof and having a surface displaced from said inner face to form a shoulder projecting therefrom at the inner end of said handle, aholder for the plate having'a face which conforms to the transverse curve of the plate, a pair of longitudinal ways on said holder on opposite sides of said face, and means barring access of said plate to said ways from a first end of said holder, the longitudinal edges of said plate at a second end thereof spaced fro said handle being admissible to said ways from a second end of said holder, said shoulder limiting the movement of said plate along said holder while said plate edges are mounted in said ways by abutting the second end of said holder, and said handle preventing the insertion of the longitudinal edges of said plate at the first end of said plate into said ways.

3. In a rotary printing device for labels, in combination, a thin, elongated, transversely curved printing plate having an embossed raised portion on the outer face between the longitudinal edges thereof, a handle secured to the inner face of said printing plate adjacent one end thereof and having a surface displaced from said inner face to form a shoulder projecting therefrom at the inner end of said handle, a holder for the plate having a face which conforms to the transverse curve of the plate, a pair of spaced resilient plates secured to said holder on opposite sides of said face, edge portions of said plates cooperating with said holder adjacent said face to form longitudinal ways for removably holding the printing 7 plate on the face, and means barring access of said plate to said ways from a first end of said holder, the longitudinal edges on said plate at a second end thereof spaced from said handle being admissible to said ways from a second end of said holder, said shoulder limiting the movement of said plate along said holder while said plate edges are mounted in said ways by abutting the second end of said holder, and said handle preventing insertion of the longitudinal edges of said plate at the first end of said plate into said ways.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 641,018 Judd Jan. 9, 1900 1,204,578 Lyon Nov. 14, 1916 1,209,412 Hubbard Dec. 19, 1916 1,629,376 Buck May 17, 1927 1,930,807 Hueber Oct. 17, 1933 1,949,688 Kranz Mar. 6 1934 2,070,591 Gollwitzer Feb. 16, 1937 2,073,308 Klein Mar. 9, 1937 2,106,078 Bender Jan. 18, 1938 2,169,676 Buck et al. Aug. 15 1939 2,266,524 Welter Dec. 16, 1941 2,268,679 Van Dusen Jan. 6 1942 2,286,087 Hanigan I June 9, 1942 2,540,704 Wolowitz Feb. 6, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 527,808 Germany ........a June 22, 1931 

